, 1887-09-22
THE UBIQUITOUS HEBREW.

His Ad~aptability to All Climate and
C~oudItions-Jews Found Everywhere.
1t has been frequently remarked that
the Jewish race has a wonderful power
OF adaptation to all climates. Jews are
found in all parts of the globe, and seem
to possess q remarkable facility for accli-
matization, even under the most unfa-
vorable circumstances. Mesopotamia Is
considered the mother country of the
Abrahamic family, as well as the cradle
of the human a Some years ago a
small colony of Jews were found in the
ancient city of Seminar. in the south of
Mesopotamia, and in the vicinity of
ancient Babylon. OF the seventy fami-
lies composing the colony one claimed to
be descended from King Joachim, the
rest from the house of Levi. A colony
Of Jews appear to have settled in China
about the beginning of the Third century
Of the Christian era, under the dynasty
Of Han. In 1904 Father Gouzani, q
Roman Catholic missionary, found seven
families near Pekin.
In 1885 a Portuguese Jew of Amster-
dam, named De Pavia, discovered a sect
of Jews in Cochin China. According to
a tradition preserved among them, they
were descended from a tribe of Jews who
had quilted Palestine on the destruction
of the second temple. From their long
residence in Cochin they had become
completely bronzed. These are not the
same as the M1labar Jews. The Jewish
traveller Benjamin, sometimes called Ben
jamin the Second, discovered a colony of
Jews, evidently of Persian origin, in
Hindostan. They were known as Baby
lonian Jews" on account Of their hav-
ing migrated from Babylonia. They OBJ
served the essential rites of Judaism, and
strictly avoided intermarriage with other
sects. In the beginning of the Seven
tenth century a Jewish colony settled in
Cayenne, in the West Indies, one of the
most inhospitable climates in South
America.
Cayenne vas subsequently conquered
by the French, who made it a penal set
Element, and the Jewish colony was
forced to retire to Surinam. Notwith-
standing frequent prosecutions, Jews are
still found in Persia, more especially to
the south of the Caspian sea, where the
soil is very fertile, but the climate very
unhealthy. The principal city Is Bal
prosh, where about $50 Jewish families
reside in almost complete isolation. They
trade with their brethren in Great Tar
tary, and are engaged in the wool and
silk rad or in the sale of citrons. They,
too, trace their origin from the Babylo-
MAN captivity, for, according to a tradi-
ton still possessed among them, their an
cestors settled in Persia in the time of
Nebuchadnezzar, and did not respond to
the appeal of Ezra TO return to Palestine.
Their mode of life resembles that of the
Persians in general. They hold the
beard in high esteem, and wear long
flowing robes. They ave several syna-
gogues, and obtain scrolls of the law
from Bagdad. The celebrated African
traveller, Mungo Park, oun a colony of
jewish families in the heart of Africa,
about 800 miles from the coast. 1t is no
doubt this peculiarly of the Jewish race
which induced a French writer on ''Medi-
cal Geography to express the opinion
that lit is questionable whether the
crossing Of human varieties confers on
the issue constant advantages in relation
to the species; for the Jewish race seems
in a wonderful manner capable of adapt
ing itself to every change of climate,
while theirs are scarcely able to bear the
least change
The Jew is found in every part Of the
world; in Europe, from Norway to Glib
%raltar; in Africa, from Algiers to the
Cape of Good Hope; in Asia, from
Cochin to the Caucasus; from Jaffa to
Pekin. He has peopled Australia, and
has given proofs Of his powers OF 40
climatization under the tropics, where
people of European origin have constant
ly failed to perpetuate themselves
Jewish World.